– Gathering a “shining” cast including Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell or Samuel L. Jackson, the bright star of Super Spy Argylle (Vietnamese title: Argylle) is an unexpected face. The Hollywood spy action film from director Matthew Vaughn welcomes the cooperation of a name who, despite being very young and unable to speak, has the most “popularity”.

Super Spy Argylle revolves around the adventures of female writer Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard) when the details in the detective novel she wrote strangely coincided with real-life details. Accompanying Elly are spy Aidan (Sam Rockwell) and cat Alfie. The irony is that the sick Aidan is allergic to cats and Elly of course cannot go anywhere without the “king” accompanying her. 

And so Alfie was pulled into an unexpected spring trip in a space travel backpack. Director Matthew Vaughn said: “In the first draft of the script, Alfie the cat only appeared once and Elly went on her adventure, leaving the cat behind. I realized we needed the cat to join her to add more conflict and tension to drive the film. I took inspiration from my kids, who showed me a documentary about Taylor Swift that showed Taylor wearing a cat bag. 

I’ve made a mental note so that when the time comes, I can apply this idea. Then, to my surprise, my wife brought home kittens, one of whom we named Chip. Because I’m not someone who especially likes cats, it took me a while to adapt.”

Playing the role of Alfie is the cat Chip owned by the family of director Matthew Vaughn and supermodel Claudia Schiffer. The filmmaker shared that Chip was actually not the first choice. The cat was “summoned” after the four-legged actor initially became uncooperative on set: “The first cat turned out to be very expensive and posh so we had to find a replacement face. Technically speaking, it’s my daughter’s cat, but you’ll see headlines saying it’s my wife’s cat. I went up to my daughter’s room and said, “Let me borrow Chip for three months.” 

Vaughn admitted he didn’t really think about casting Chip, because it would mean the filmmaker would have to pull double duty as director and “showrunner” throughout the project. But in the end it was a valuable experience that turned Vaughn into a loving “servant.” “It turned out it was the right thing to do because at first I was a dog lover but ended up loving cats. Man, you don’t want to anger a cat. They have the right to decide whether they want to act or not.”

Even though it was his first role in his life and he had no acting experience, Chip quickly revealed his star qualities when receiving a series of “servant” compliments: “Driving to the set with a cat in the car was an unusual experience and Chip lived in my trailer during filming. Over time, the cat conquered me and his acting in the movie was excellent. Chip becomes the perfect source of argument between the characters, and to his surprise, he is charming, fun and photogenic.” 

Actress Bryce Howard shared about Matthew Vaughn’s favoritism towards this particular actor: “Matthew’s children will treat him nicely if something happens to the cat.”

The “golden spoon” baby Chip seems to be quite tolerant with his co-stars. Oscar owner Sam Rockwell humorously said that Chip “is a nightmare”: “He always stands in my frame, asks for food while acting, and even hides in the trailer. If there is a sequel, please don’t look into my eyes again.” 

Chip also showed off his classy demeanor when “criticizing” Henry Cavill in public. Unfortunately, Henry Cavill, during the press conference to launch the movie in London, took advantage of the opportunity to pet Chip because they didn’t have much time to interact on set. At that time, Chip was being held by co-star Bryce Dallas Howard, but when Henry reached out to pat his head, the actress warned: “Sometimes Chip can be very fierce.” So Superman also had to give in: “I think well, I should withdraw my hand before it’s no longer intact.”